Many are seeking God’s blessing but Many have not enjoyed much of this blessings because of their ignorance of the parts to blessedness. God has given us his blessing and also designed the
manner through which will receive and enjoy his blessings. He has not withheld his blessings from his creation, rather his
creation, especially humankind, has robbed itself of God’s blessings and introduce fraudulent parts to God’s blessings which are contrary to God’s will.
Little wonder, in the mist of supposed blessings, we encountered numerous troubles, curses and poverty.
The blessing of God Then appears to be negative because we hurt one another while struggling for God’s blessings .
But God has revealed the nature and quality of his blessing in the following statements:
The blessing of the lord brings wealth and he adds no troubles to it.(proverbs 10 vs 22).
The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil.
For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors. (Deuteronomy 30 verse 9)
Let those who design vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say ever more, great is the lord who delights in the welfare of his servant (Psalms 35 verse 27).
Isaac sowed the seed in that land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. The Lord
blessed him and the man became Rich; he prospered more and more until he became very wealthy.(Gen 26:12)
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the lord plans for your welfare and not harm, to give you a future with hope. (Jeremiah 29 verse 11).
Beloved I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul (3 John 2).
Jesus demonstrated God’s desire to bless his people by making God’s blessing a central theme in his first sermon.
It must have surprised those who listen to this sermon because of its paradox. But it is
in this paradox that will discover the part of God’s blessings and this will usher us into realizing the promises of our calling.
We are elected and called to blessedness. Christ begins his semon with the proclamation of blessing because he came into the world to bless all people.
Peter confessed this mission of Christ when he said: when God raised his servant, he sent him first to you to bless You by turning each of you from your wicked ways.
God’s blessing begins with our change from our wicked and selfish ways to ways of God’s righteousness.
One thing that should startle every christian is the way the old testament ends.A careful reading shows that curse was enshrined in the last verse of the old testament.
Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
He will turn the heart of parents to their children and their heart of children to their parents so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse (Malachi 4 verse 5 to 6).
These verses shows that although human beings deserved God’s curse and punishment because of their disobedience
to God’s purposes, God still wishes that humans will repent and returned to him in order to avert the curse of God and receive his blessing.
This concept is clearly reflected in the story of Jonah. God call Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim the imminent judgement of God.
But God’s intention was that true this message, the people of Nineveh would repent and avert God’s curse upon them.
Jonah refused to take on this mission because he wished that the people of Nineveh will suffer the wrath of God.
But Jonah wishes for the people of ninevah did not materialise because God in his sovereignty insured that Jonah carried out this mission albeit reluctantly.
When Jonah wishes were thwarted and God’s intention in blessing the people was realised.
Jonah lamented and his lamentations showed clearly that he knew that God
intended to bless the people which was the reason for his refusal to willingly carry out the mission.
….That is why I slid to Tarshish at the “beginning” for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast Love and ready relent from punishing (Jonah 4 vs 2).
Jonah preferred to die than behold the mercy and blessing of God upon the people of Nineveh.
For Jonah, they are evil people who deserves to be cast into the lake of fire. But for God, they are his creator who should be
warned to repent and denounce their sins so that they can flee the rot and curse of God and thus enjoy his blessings.
Jonah’s action symbolises human nature. Humans are more prone to curse that the blessed. Some humans would become very
angry and disappointment when they discover that they can not stop their earning
or those they despise and would like to humiliate from experiencing and enjoying the blessing of God.
The good news is that no person has a monopoly of God’s blessings. God’s blessing
come to people whether they are enemies like it or not and whether those who wish them evil and would like to humiliate them like it or not.
The realisation of these truths should make every child of God to rejoice in the Lord as she or he realises that no one can take away God’s blessing from him or her.
It should also make Christians to be willing instrument and making other people
experience God’s blessing than being jealous of those who experience God’s blessings. For in the blessing of others ,we receive our own blessing.
Blessedness is one thing which all people pursue daily, but most people make a mistake in their pursuit because they have a
wrong notion of what blessedness is all about.
When people have a wrong perception about blessedness, they wander away from God’s plan and vision for them in their search for God’s blessing.
No wonder many people miss the way in their search for blessedness and plunge themself in all sort of evil.
There are a good number of people who are led to shed Innocent blood in their search for blessing.
The general opinion is;” blessed are they who are rich,the great and honorable in the
world; who spend there years in fun and pleasure; and those who eat the best food and drink the choicest juices, those who carry all before them with a high hand.”
But our Lord Jesus gives us quite another conception of blessedness and blessed people in the beatitude.
Every Christian must take his measure of happiness from those maxims expressed in the beatitude, and to direct his pursuit accordingly.
In the beartitude , Jesus removes discouragement from the week and Poor who receive the gospel.
Even the least in the kingdom of heaven, whose act was up -right with God, was happy and blessed in the honours and privileges of the kingdom.
Jesus here invte souls to himself ,those who have seen his gracious cares which he
displayed in his miracles in Galilee which had caused the consternation of the entire people ( Matthew 9 verse 23 to 24 ).
They now hear the gracious words proceeding out of his mouth and are ready
to be persuaded to rightly conclude that Jesus is a reflection of God’s love as witness.
Unity in the beartitude, Jesus revealed to us that God expects from us and what we may expect from God and these are fully set forth in few words.
In the bear, the way of happiness is opened and made a highway. Our Savior gives us eight characteristics that mark blessed people .
These characteristics symbolises the chief grace of a Christian. on each of them, on the
other hand, a present lesson is pronounced; and on the other hand, a feature blessedness is promised also.
Shalom….
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